The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Launch library movement in rural areas, says Kambar

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Nov 15, 2007
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Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Launch library movement in rural areas, says Kambar

Special Correspondent

‘Indifference to local language making libraries irrelevant in cities’

Bangalore: Kannada playwright MLC Chandrashekar Kambar has said that there was a need to launch a library movement in rural areas as it would help people to learn and respond to the social, political and economic demands of the day.

He was inaugurating the National Library week, organised by the Department of Public Libraries, here on Wednesday.

Explaining the cultural and educational needs of the rural polity, Dr. Kambar said the library movement had lost its relevance in urban areas because of increasing attraction towards English and indifference to “desi” languages.

Library culture

In that context, library culture could do wonders in drawing the attention of rural masses towards a range of books on various topics.

The Department of Libraries had to play the twin role of educating and entertaining rural masses by providing them access to quality books, he said.

It was incorrect to say that globalisation would affect the reading habit.

Instead, it had helped in augmentation of book production and thus led to increased reading habit as people had realised the benefits of reading.

The Government should take steps to ensure supply of quality books to its zilla panchayat libraries.

‘Ensure decent pay’

It should ensure that employees of these libraries were given a decent pay, he said.

P.Y. Rajendra Kumar, Director, Department of Public Libraries, welcomed the gathering. T.M. Vijaya Bhaskar, Secretary, Primary and Secondary Education, presided over the function.

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